Day 06 — April 06, 2024
The Echo Between Dreams and Morning Light
---------------------
I woke up again… in that place.
That strange, uncharted realm where even shadows seemed lost. Not a single landmark. Not a single memory to grasp. Just endless gray beneath a moon that never blinked—cold, distant, staring like a god with no empathy.
There were no stars. No sun. Just that pale eye above me, watching.
And silence—broken only by the sound of wind weaving through unseen corridors, cold enough to seep through my bones.
Where… am I?
I opened my mouth, but my voice felt foreign. Distant. Like it belonged to someone else. My body, too, had become a stranger. Every joint ached. My skin trembled against something hard and jagged—stone? Gravel? Whatever it was, it didn't matter. The darkness stripped the world of meaning.
I tried to rise.
Failed.
My arms gave way. My chest slammed into the ground with a thud so hollow it echoed through the void.
Then came the pain.
Real. Raw. Merciless.
A searing lance of agony erupted in my right arm. I turned my head, teeth clenched. My sleeve was torn. Skin shredded. Blood leaked in dark rivulets, too thick, too slow—as if reality itself was struggling to accept my presence.
My breath faltered. My lungs locked. Panic thundered inside me.
What happened?
I reached toward the wound. The moment my fingers grazed it, the pain screamed. My vision splintered. A cry tore from my throat and vanished into the empty air.
Still—no answer.
But then, faintly, came noise.
Not from within me.
From beyond.
At first, it was wind again… or so I thought.
But it changed—morphed.
Whispers. Murmurs. As if voices argued just out of reach.
Hushed. Urgent. Almost angry.
Then came the wails—low at first, then rising—followed by a shriek so inhuman it rattled the sky.
And then—
BOOM.
A deafening explosion tore through the air.
It wasn't thunder.
It was metal. Clashing. Collapsing.
Something manmade.
The earth quaked beneath me. My heart stopped.
Bzzzt... bzzzt... bzzzt...
The world fractured.
Light poured in—too much. Too fast.
Then—
I screamed.
Bolted upright. Gasping. Drenched in sweat. My chest rose and fell in sharp bursts, lungs fighting for air. Everything was too hot, too loud, too alive.
I was back.
In my apartment.
But I wasn't safe.
The fear still clung to me like smoke. My shirt clung to my body, soaked and suffocating. My hands trembled. My heart thundered.
I tried to move—stand—anything.
But my knees buckled.
I collapsed, hitting the floor with a sickening crunch. Pain flared in my shoulder, but this time, I didn't scream.
The room was quiet again.
No voices.
No dreams.
Just the cold floor and my ragged breathing.
And then, without permission...
Darkness took me once more.
Not sleep.
Just… the absence of being.
---
Riiing… riiing… ring...
The ringtone dragged me back. My eyes fluttered open to the soft gray of morning, the cold floor beneath me stiff against my back. I blinked. Once. Twice.
Still on the floor. Not in bed. Still breathing.
Barely.
I sat up slowly, brushing off invisible dust. My apartment looked worse than I remembered—papers scattered like fallen leaves, clothes draped over furniture like surrendered flags.
A mess. Like me.
My phone buzzed again, somewhere in the chaos.
I spotted it—face down near the corner of my mattress. I reached out, groaning as my stiff shoulder protested.
I picked it up.
One percent battery.
Then—black screen.
"You've got to be kidding me…" I whispered, watching my luck die with that last flicker of light.
I let out a hollow laugh. "Figures."
Tossing it gently onto the bed, I began my morning ritual: the sacred search for the charger. I crawled over discarded socks and receipts, fished through bags, until at last—
Victory.
Tangled, dusty, ancient—but still a charger.
I plugged it in and watched the screen slowly awaken.
My heart thudded harder than it should.
Why?
It was just a text.
Except… it wasn't.
My inbox lit up.
New message.
> Good morning, sleepy head.
Meet me at the clock tower near the station at 10 a.m.
[winking emoji]
The sender?
Fujimoto Airi.
My breath caught.
That Fujimoto Airi. The same woman who barely acknowledged me yesterday. The same one whose name felt like a prayer I wasn't worthy to speak aloud.
She had messaged me.
Invited me.
Smiled—virtually.
I replied with trembling fingers:
> Yeah, sure. I'll be there.
Almost instantly:
> [winking emoji]
She was serious.
I jumped to my feet, nearly knocking over a chair.
"YES!" I shouted to the heavens.
"Shut up, you lunatic!" someone yelled through the wall.
"Go die somewhere else!" came another voice from below.
I clamped a hand over my mouth, laughing into my palm.
This was insane.
Maybe… today would be different.
---
10:10 a.m.
The old clock tower loomed over me like a silent witness. I'd been standing there for over ten minutes, too nervous to check the time more than once. My palms were damp. My legs stiff.
What if she didn't come?
What if it was a joke?
A prank?
And then—
"Sorry for keeping you waiting."
I turned.
And time—stopped.
Fujimoto Airi stood there, her hair dancing in the wind, a soft smile warming her eyes. She looked—
No.
She was beautiful.
And in that moment, something happened.
The world flickered.
White light engulfed everything.
And suddenly—
I was standing in a church.
A white suit clung to my frame. Rows of chairs lined either side. A grand aisle stretched before me.
At the end of it—those doors opened.
Airi entered.
In a wedding gown.
Radiant. Glowing. Divine.
Her eyes found mine. Her smile deepened.
Each step she took shattered the world around me and rebuilt it anew.
She was walking toward me.
And I—was waiting.
"I do…" I whispered, not knowing why.
---
"Earth to Haruki-kun!"
I blinked. Airi waved a hand in front of my face.
"So? How do I look?" she asked, teasing.
"Beautiful as alwa—" I slapped a hand over my mouth too late.
She laughed—a sound like windchimes in spring.
And just like that, the rest of the day melted into something I'd never forget.
---
We wandered.
Parks. Cafes. The aquarium. A bookstore tucked away in a quiet alley. A tiny movie theater. Even the mall—laughing at nothing, chasing time like kids who forgot how to be tired.
She was warm. Curious. Sincere.
And real.
More real than the dream.
---
By sunset, we sat side by side on a bench overlooking the city. The sky was a watercolor of orange and pink, light resting gently on her face.
She looked… peaceful.
But beneath that calm, something stirred.
"About yesterday…" she began.
She didn't meet my eyes. "I'm sorry. For ignoring you. You said something, and… I didn't know what to say."
I chuckled nervously. "You mean, 'Nice day weryhaving?'"
She snorted. "Exactly."
I laughed too. We both did.
She turned to me. Her voice softened. "Thanks. For the sweets. And the coffee. You remembered?"
"Lucky guess," I lied.
"You were totally eavesdropping," she teased.
"Guilty."
She smiled.
"I forgive you."
And in that moment, silence felt like music.
She looked down, cheeks flushed.
"Can we… do this again? Tomorrow?"
I nodded, heart swelling.
"Of course."
---
That night, I lay in bed, hugging my pillow like a fool.
My phone buzzed.
> Good night, sleepy head.
[sleeping emoji]
I smiled, typing back.
> Good night. And thank you.
Then I whispered to the stars—
"Good night, my sweet Fujimoto Airi…"
I…
love…
you.